By paNOW

Girls get probation for gas bar robbery

Dec 11, 2017 | 6:00 PM

Two teenage girls were handed probation and community service hours today for holding up a Prince Albert gas station at knifepoint.

The teens, ages 15 and 17, pleaded guilty to robbing the Canadian Tire gas bar on Second Ave. W. Sept. 17. Crown Prosecutor Cameron Scott said the girls showed the lone clerk a knife with a four-inch blade before demanding cash and cigarettes. The teens left the store with $110 and a single pack of cigarettes, he said, before fleeing the scene on foot.

An attempt to track the suspects using a police dog failed, Scott said, but police distributed surveillance images of the robbery to media organizations and Crime Stoppers. Tips from the public led to the girls’ arrest despite the dark hoods they wore to conceal their identities.

Despite the girls’ young ages, Scott asked for a sentence of deferred custody followed by probation. Robbery is a very serious offence, he said, and adults would almost certainly receive custody under the same circumstances.

Defence lawyer Estelle Hjertaas said probation was more appropriate, noting neither girl had a previous record. Both girls regret the robbery, she said, and entered guilty pleas at their first opportunities.

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“There was no actual violence,” Hjertaas said. “They feel quite stupid about this.”

Judge Steven Schiefner sentenced both girls to one year’s probation, with conditions including a nightly curfew and counselling. Both girls were prohibited from possessing a knife except while eating, and were banned from owning firearms or other weapons for three years. Finally, the pair were ordered to have no contact with each other during their probation.

The 15-year-old was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service, while her older accomplice was handed 75 hours due to an additional shoplifting incident Nov. 11. Schiefner wished both teens good luck in the future, and encouraged them to focus on their education.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:14 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017 to correct a typographical error.